Ribbon cut on new South Bend City Hall

Larson-Danielson Construction’s newest project is now open to the public. The renovation of the City of South Bend’s new 55,000-square-foot, six-story City Hall Building, which began last December, wrapped up this month.

Monday, October 13, marked a great day for South Bend city officials as they celebrated the opening of the new City Hall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Smiles were big as the team reflected on years of hard work coming to fruition regarding a project that highlighted their commitment to establishing an improved service center for local residents.

The new City Hall, located at 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, opened after the City acquired the former South Bend Community School Corporation administration building in October of 2022. This move consolidates various South Bend city entities under one roof, including all City offices previously in the County-City Building, the Building Department, 311 Customer Service, and the Water Works department. Public city meetings are also scheduled to begin at the new location in November.

According to South Bend Mayor James Mueller, the converging of many different departments to one building will provide ease and convenience when residents need to address a variety of tasks within the city.

“We are ready to go this week and are truly excited about what this brings to our residents,” said Mueller. “One big piece that this move enabled us to do was to bring more city services under one roof. When residents come to City Hall, they can get any issue they have in the city addressed within seconds of walking in the front door. We’re excited to offer this new service to our residents and to have this new building to be a symbol of our city and the path forward.”

The new City Hall offers a one-stop-shop for most city services, allowing residents to easily access the new City Customer Service Center for needs such as paying utility bills, obtaining building permits, or finding program information. This center is staffed with 311 liaisons and features self-serve kiosks to assist visitors with any questions. Residents can schedule appointments through the City Service Center’s new system for same-day or advance meetings, with real-time updates provided beforehand. To further enhance convenience, additional parking has been added to accommodate the increased foot traffic, ensuring that residents have ample space when visiting.

“Our residents will be able to experience condensed services so that we’re able to serve them in a much more efficient way and so they are able to find the services or person that they need,” said South Bend Director of Customer Service and Success Cathleen Sutherland. “Residents are also able to enjoy two-hour parking right here next to the building so they don’t have to try to fit into small parking spaces somewhere along the building. We’re really excited for the conveniences that you will experience here at the new City Hall.”

Also in attendance at Monday’s ribbon-cutting were supporters of the new City Hall. This included members of various councils, budgeting teams, architects, marketing and communications personnel, and many others who, both inside and outside of the City staff, contributed to the project’s success. Public Works Director Eric Horvath acknowledged all of them in his address.

“I appreciate this opportunity to speak about the great new building that we have here that’s allowed us to bring in all these city departments and hopefully operate much more efficiently and streamline services for our residents. That couldn’t happen without a lot of really hard work from a lot of folks in the audience,” Horvath said.

Larson-Danielson Construction served as the project’s general contractor, working side-by-side with city officials during the project to help bring the new City Hall to life. To see it all complete now was a great feeling for the team.

“It feels great reaching this milestone,” said Mark E. Gott, Jr., Larson-Danielson project manager. “Renovation projects always present unique challenges, and there were a lot of moving parts. Project superintendent, Ryan Schafer, did a great job. Working with the city, collaborating with them was great. They were fantastic teammates, and seeing the completed project now feels really good.”

With the new City Hall now officially open, the City of South Bend is thrilled to continue its commitment to progress and community development. This milestone marks a significant step forward in the City’s dedication to serving its residents and fostering growth.

“Today, we don’t just open the doors of a new building. We open the doors to new possibilities for South Bend,” said 1st Councilman Pastor Canneth Lee. “This new City Hall stands as a powerful symbol of progress, partnership and purpose. It reflects the beliefs that when we come together – elected officials, city employees and citizens –- we can build something greater than ourselves.”

Learn more about Larson-Danielson Construction by visiting its website.